Dogs Have Owners, Cats Have Staff
by IdeaGirl793
Summary: Seventeen year old Koyama Yuki takes up a job at Higurashi Shrine to hopefully cure an ever lasting boredom. When she falls down the well, and comes face to face with Inuyasha, their immediate cat and dog-like rivalry threaten the peace of the group.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: (03/12/2010) Hello peeps! This is a new story that I crafted from pure boredom. It's horrible of me to start up something new when I have so many that are left unfinished.. But the idea has been annoying me for weeks and I thought, well, what the heck. As usual it's an OC story, and I don't know where I'm going with it yet, or even if I like it but hopefully that'll pick up like it usually does. By the way I should add that the title isn't set in stone right now and I should also apologize for my horrid summary and my horrible first two paragraphs.. It's my first time starting a story in third-person and it's proven to be quite a challenge for me.

I hope you enjoy my story anyway and review if it's not too much trouble!

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Chapter 1

When Koyama Yuki first moved to Tokyo, Japan with her family, everyone said that they were the most extraordinary people they had ever laid their eyes on. Koyama Jiro – Yuki's father - was a tall, strong man. He bore dark, piercing eyes, and his expression was always of scorn for the world. His wife, Koyama Aneko, had eyes that were bright with wisdom and laughter, and her hair was darker than night itself. She was tall as well, in fact all their children were tall.. well except Yuki. Yuki had always been the odd one out to the curious onlookers. Each of her six siblings wore a matching earring on the top outer cartilage of their ears – even did her parents- but Yuki followed no family trend. Each person in her family had beautiful, dark hair, but Yuki's dark locks had been artificially dyed - it was obvious. Furthermore, instead of sporting the long pattern, as most girls her age did, Yuki's hair was shorter than her ears, cut in that delicate pixie way.

Yuki's personality was different too. While her brothers and sisters were more social and aggressive; she was a quiet girl who would rather read books and draw in her notebook than make friends. She carefully took care of her younger brothers, twins – Eiichi and Hiro -, with dedication and patience. However, the girl would often skip class, and disappear off school campus for hours at a time. Her screams in the night kept up the neighbours three times out of the week. The girl had horrid dreams, possibly the result of some type of abuse or trauma.. the onlookers could only guess.

One warm spring evening, while the windows to her bedroom had been open for the first time since moving there, the frail neighbour boy had a small look into her reality.

The screams echoed through the dark brick house, and the terrified nine-year old crept up to the window. Through it he could see into her room; upon the dark red walls and white trembling light. A dark shadow fell from the ceiling to the far wall, and from it the boy could make out the shape of a woman. At first the boy thought this room was no longer Koyama Yuki's, for the hair was much too long. There were other things as well, different and inexplicable about this shadow; this shadow sported strange triangular shapes upon its head, and a thin, snake-like animal flicked from left to right beside it.

The boy pondered upon these strange shapes in the shadow, until the door of the room flew open in a furry. He watched Koyama Aneko rush past the window, and become a shadow along the wall beside the other. The boy was shocked; he was sure, for a moment, Aneko's dark brown hair had been a brilliant orange.

"Yuki, are you alright? Stop crying, please, it was just another dream."

"But it was _that_ again.. That laughter.. That battle.. That dark corrupt little jewel.."

Aneko's shadow embraced Yuki's and hushed the sobs away, "It was nothing but a dream, little one. We know these things have past already, they are no more."

"But.. they are never of the past.."

"Tonight it must be."

The boy heard Yuki exhale, and watched the shadow's arms rub its face, "I really don't know what to think anymore.."

"Do not worry yourself over such a trivial thing. We know sometimes these dreams are not correct."

"But.. the shikon jewel was so badly corrupt.. and those eyes.. those blood-red eyes watching my every move.."

"That is enough, Yuki, those matters have long been dealt with for over five hundred years - long before even your oldest sister was thought to exist. Now sleep without dreams for the last few hours that remain.." Aneko rose from the bed and moved toward the window. The boy froze in horror at the woman who stared back at him only a few feet away. Her hair really was that of the colour of flame; her eyes a shimmering gold.

She pulled her long slender arms out from her nightgown and grasped the window's edge, "For _all_ little children, should be in bed," Then she pulled the window shut and tossed the curtains over the glass.

The next morning, no one believed the boy when he told his mother of what he saw or heard. The Koyama family continued about their daily lives; though with the dark looks the little boy received from the twins as he walked with them to school, he could only think that he now knew more than he was allowed.

Yuki wandered along behind them, her music playing in her ears, the dark green hood of her sweater pulled up over her head. Her hands, covered with thin black gloves, held a large cloth bag hung over her shoulder, and a small piece of paper stuck out from the pocket of her jeans.

"Is that a note?" the boy asked, turning most of his body around to look.

The twins on either side of him snarled; grabbing his arms and pulling him to walk straight.

"Of course it's a note," one of them snapped.

"But what it says is really none of your business is it?" the other smirked.

"Eiichi. Hiro, enough," Yuki said. Her voice was calm and soothing, but still held enough authority to remind the two boys who was boss, "My note is nothing more than an errand list, Kenta, see?"

Yuki took out the small piece of paper from her pocket, and handed it to the little boy. She was right, it was nothing more than a list of errands she had to do. He noticed one thing, an address, and worried a little for the girl behind him.

"The Higurashi shrine? That's very far from here."

Yuki nodded, carefully taking back the note and returning it to her pocket, "Yes, but I know the way."

"But that crazy old Jii-san can't help you with bad dreams! All he has are things that hurt yokai! You won't be safe!"

The twins stopped walking, and their small hands were upon the older boy in an instant. They shoved him to the ground, their pale faces as red as their mother's hair had been the following night.

"What are you saying, you idiot? Who told you such bad things?" Eiichi shouted.

Hiro raised his small fist, "We should beat you up for saying such bad things about Onee-chan! She is not a yokai!"

Yuki's gloved hands snatched her brothers' shoulders, carefully pulling them off Kenta and tossing them on the grass beside her.

"I'm sorry, Kenta," Yuki sighed, helping him to his feet, "Those two don't know much about self-control."

"It's alright.." Kenta murmured. Yuki didn't look at him directly.. she seemed distracted as if she were off in another world and the boy wondered what she could be thinking about. He remembered the night before and without thinking he asked, "Are you scared of something?"

The girl blinked, and drew away from the boy. She didn't respond to his question and instead turned toward her sulking brothers, "Can you two behave without me?"

The boys smirked and in unison they said, "Of course, Onee-chan."

Yuki didn't look convinced but she didn't seem concerned, "Well, I'm going to go start these errands."

"But what about school?" Kenta asked. He wasn't afraid of this girl, despite the strangeness of last night. He had always wondered about the Koyama's, especially Yuki. He knew that he held a great secret in his hands and, determined to know more, wanted to make sure that nothing would happen to these strange people. That was his job, as a man, to protect what was most important.

Yuki turned her soft gaze upon him, and gave him a little smile, "There are things more important to me at this time than school."

She then put her hands in her sweater's pockets and abandoned the three boys on the corner.

Hiro and Eiichi turned toward their older friend, their dark eyes dancing with fiendish delight.

"Now that Onee-chan is gone," they smirked, "let us teach you how to keep your mouth shut."

Yuki ignored the sudden cry that rang out behind her, and listened as three sets of footsteps faded off in the opposite direction. She told herself that she didn't really mean for it to be that way for Kenta, but Hiro and Eiichi couldn't be stopped. It was something the teachers at the school would have to take care of, not her. Hiro and Eiichi were aggressive and over-protective. The guardians of the family, supposedly – or at least that was what they liked to think.

Yuki reached into her bag, took out an apple, and went on her way.

She spent the morning running her errands, things that no one could ever be suspicious of; getting groceries, dropping off the mail, helping old people cross the street. It was all very ordinary but still people stared at her as she passed like it wasn't. They looked at her like she was a celebrity, but Yuki didn't really think much of it - she knew that her family and herself gave off a different feeling than the others, and it was something she had learned to accept many years ago.

A few hours later Yuki stood at the bottom of a stone staircase, staring hard at the red square torii at the very top. She had finished almost everything on her list.. this was the last thing she needed to do.

Yuki looked around. The street was empty, and she was before an extremely high hill, covered with trees. Beside her stood a stone; it was tall, reaching her shoulders, and upon it read: "Higurashi Shrine". She placed her apple core upon this stone sign, then began to ascend the stairs.

"You know, you really shouldn't put your litter on other people's property."

Yuki stopped, rolling her eyes. She turned back around and looked upon the frail old granny three steps below her. The woman had a hunch, a large nose, and a basket of apples. Her hair was grey, and thrown over her weak body was a large black cloak.

"You know," Yuki muttered, climbing back down her three steps, "the wicked witch from Snow White really doesn't suit you at all, Onii-san."

The old woman before her chuckled, then suddenly morphed into a tall, young man. He might have been in his late teens or early twenties. He might have been very attractive too, but Yuki wouldn't know for she never thought of her family's quality in appearance. This was the third sibling in the Koyama tribe; Viktor**.** His cream-coloured hair glittered in the afternoon sun, and his deep-set, yellow eyes stared at Yuki in mockery.

"Really?" Viktor asked; sharp fangs exposed as he spoke, "I thought I really had that one down."

"You might've with another character, but you don't see many wicked witches in Tokyo. I think it would be best for you to go with a less obvious disguise."

"But it's no fun to stalk you if you don't know who I am," he grinned, swinging his basket of apples. This distracted her and Yuki eyed the bright red props in the brown wicker basket. From afar they might have looked like real apples - shiny, red and juicy – but they were nothing but a bit of clay and a coat of paint. Viktor noticed her staring, and pulled one out, inspecting it proudly.

"You like? I made them at the theatre. Guess what play we're doing?"

"Snow White?" It really wasn't that hard to guess.

"Good job!" Viktor cheered, "Except in this version, Snow White doesn't take the apples. Instead one of the little men does and we have to find out his lost true love! Which actually turns out to be the wicked witch!"

"Oh wow, that's new. A totally not lame. Haven't you done this version before, though, at some other theatre?"

Viktor sighed, placing the clay apple back into their basket, "No, I've been talking about it for weeks however, why don't you ever pay attention?"

Yuki shrugged, "Why are you here?"

"I need another of those earring things, if you haven't noticed."

"You lost it _again_?"

"We do so many costume changes.. it's so much easier to play the character if you can just transform, Yuki! Idiot!"

Yuki reached into her pocket, ignoring his insult, and tossed him the keys to the house, "In my room there's a little box on top of the wardrobe. They should be in there."

"Thank you.." Viktor hid the keys in his pocket, "and I won't tell Dad that you skipped school."

"Shouldn't he already know?"

"No, Hiro and Eiichi called me, not him. Apparently they got into a fight about something with the neighbour kid, and I have to go pick them up. They did mention you abandoned them on the street, though. I won't tell Dad about that either."

Yuki was silent, her eyes lowering to stare at her old and worn sneakers.

"Well then, see ya later.." Viktor grabbed the apple core on the stone sign, and in his hand it grew back to its perfect spherical shape, "and be careful not to eat any poison apples on your journey, little princess."

He dropped the apple into her hand, and she watched silently as her brother walked away. He turned himself back into the witch.. As if that was going to keep himself from getting noticed, she thought. It would just be better for him to stay looking the way he did; they might think he was just some anime cosplayer..

She rolled her eyes and continued her way up the stairs, putting the apple in her bag. She ran her fingers along the beaded bracelet around her wrist. They were perfectly smooth and round, but made of wood. She couldn't sport the "earring things" like the rest of her family. She had to make due with this..

She reached the top of the stone steps and looked around. It looked like a normal shrine. There was nothing special or different about this one.

"Hey you there, boy! What are you doing here?"

Yuki turned to see a short old man coming up to her, holding a large broom in his hand. As he came closer his dark beady eyes became wide, then apologetic.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my dear, I didn't realize-"

"Are you the keeper of this shrine?" Yuki interrupted. People mistaking her for a boy was normal and she took no offence. With her hair, and small frame there really wasn't anything she had that really signified she was a girl from a distance.

"Why yes I am, this shrine has been in my family for generations!" The old man boasted, "How come you are here? Are you looking for Kagome? I'm sorry but she has chronic hiccoughs and can't seem to stop quacking like a duck. Yes, she is very ill, please wait until she returns to school before visiting her."

Yuki blankly stared at the man who was trembling in anxiety before her. The shrine keeper was uneasy, not knowing what else to say in the silence. He thought of her strange – the way she just stood there was incredibly odd- and the moment he did, Yuki spoke.

"I'm not looking for Kagome, Jii-san. I was wondering if you could help me with something."

All the anxiety melted away from him in that instant. He wasn't sure, however, if it was from relief or if it was solely because of this girl. Perhaps she was more than she appeared?

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Koyama Yuki," she replied, "I just moved here two years ago on account to my Father's job. I am the fourth of six children; seventeen years old, this past March. If you need to contact my parents I can give you the number."

The shrine keeper was silent. She had just thrown upon him so much information so fast and so confident. Could this be suspicious? Or was it just pure innocence?

Yuki reached into her bag, and took out a small book. She opened it and flipped through a few pages before holding it out for the shrine keeper to see. He took it from her, and after putting on a pair of reading glasses, looked over the neatly printed code under the name "Koyama Viktor".

"Ehm, thank you my dear, but this won't be necessary," he handed back the book once he had memorized the number, and she placed it safely back into her bag. This girl could be up to something, but then again she could also be just a customer. It was odd for a girl of this age to be out in the middle of the day when she should be at school; but with the number - which looked legitimate - he could easily call if she caused any trouble.

"Well, what was it you came here for?" The old man wondered to himself if word of his spiritual power had travelled; if this girl was here to ask to get rid of horrible yokai in her basement. It must be that, it had to be! There would be no other reason for a girl of her age to miss class just to come to a shrine, "Are you looking for good luck charms? Do you need my help in any way?"

Yuki blinked, her expressionless face, made it impossible for the old man to tell what she was thinking. She dug her hands into her pockets, and gazed around the shrine, "Actually.. I would like a job."

"A job?"

"Yes. Your granddaughter is ill isn't she? Therefore you must not be getting a lot of help?"

"Why.. who ever said that?"

"You did, Jii-san."

"Oh.. that's right.." the man took in a deep breath, then exhaled again, throwing on a smile, "Well, I'm not sure if I can give you a full-time job, but you can most certainly help out. You can start right away if you like. Shall I give you a tour?"

"Please."

For about an hour, Yuki followed the old enthusiastic little man as he wandered around his shrine, talking blindly about everything there was to talk about. Yuki was barely listening. She had turned herself out as soon as he mentioned the word "history". She was one hundred percent sure she knew more about the history of things than the man before her, but she tried to make it look like she was paying attention at least.

When the rough tour finished, Yuki was given a plain white kimono with a bright red hakama to wear. The shrine keeper handed over his broom to her, and she went off to clean. She had insisted upon keeping her bags, although he had informed her that they would be safe inside the house. She felt more at ease if she had her things, so he let her have her way.

Yuki swept away the dead leaves from the following fall, and old grass and dirt on the stones. She picked up blown-in trash and changed the bins. It was simple, and Yuki did it without complaining; without saying a word.

Now it wasn't like she needed the money – her family was secretly rich beyond compare - and it wasn't like she had a real purpose to do this at all.. but she was bored. Bored with life, with school. Her life consisted of a repetitive daily routine. It was always the same, no matter where she went. The schools always taught the same things, she knew everything already by heart, better than any student in the district would ever know the subjects. Life had lost its meaning so many years before, that most of what she did now, had no meaning at all.

When Yuki had finished sweeping most of the grounds, a middle-aged woman came out of the house with a tray. On her tray was a thermos, and a pink plastic box.

"Hello," she said, sitting down beside Yuki on the stone bench beside the Sakura tree, "You are the new hired help? I'm Mrs. Higurashi. I thought you might be hungry. I've brought some green tea and rice balls for you."

Yuki eyed the small meal, "It's alright, I'm not that hungry."

The woman insisted, placing it into her hands, "Well take it anyway, and if you like you can take those dishes home with you as well. Hunger can come at any moment! By the way, if you're finished.. that storehouse could really use an airing out" Then she stood, and with a small smile, she made her way back into the house.

Yuki stared at the food in her lap, not really knowing what to make of it. She shrugged, and placed it into her bag, swapping it for her apple. She stood with her broom and made her way toward what she thought was the storehouse.

It was a small wooden thing with a grey roof. When she opened the sliding doors, Yuki thought it looked as if the room, once living, had already died. It was dark and full of dust. The air was thick, hot, and stale. A few places in the floor had broken through, and even parts of the railing was broken.

She left the doors wide open so the light and air could hopefully make things seem more friendly. About three paces forward was a wooden stair case. At the bottom was a dirt floor and in the middle was a well. The well was open, and two broken wooden doors lay splintered to the side.

Yuki made her way down with her broom, chewing on her apple. This was obviously not the storehouse, but this place really did need to be cleaned. She reached the bottom, and the light behind her brought to her attention foot prints in the dirt all around. Most were of shoes, but there were a few of bare feet. Yuki didn't think much of this however.. for she thought that whatever the Higurashi's did with their temple was really none of her business.

She swept away the footprints, and carried the shattered wooden well doors out of the room. She placed them on the wall outside and went back in for the splinters. As she collected these in her hand, carefully mapping out a route to the hardware store in her mind, she came to notice a piece of rope coming up from the well. In fact there were two and they were tied around pegs, then hammered into the ground.

Yuki dropped her splinters into a pile off to the side, and with her broom peeked into the well. The ropes were actually a ladder leading to the bottom, and at the bottom, sure enough, were more footprints. She sat down on the edge, placing her half eaten apple beside her.

She wondered to herself, if it was even worth it to try to go down there. It was quite dirty, there were those footprints, and she was sure she seen a bit of trash or maybe leaves down there too, but should she even bother?

She decided not to. I mean how many people really came through here to look at the well? If it became an issue then she would do what she could but now what was most important was to fix the floor and the doors and the railing.

She got to her feet, but reaching for her apple she accidentally knocked it down into the well. Yuki gasped, and with one hand holding the ropes, she managed to catch her lunch in mid-air. But with one hand gripping the ladder, and one foot hooked around the rope pegged to the floor, she was practically dangling upside down.

She pulled the apple to her mouth and gripped it in her teeth. Then she wondered how in the world she was to get out of this. She could feel her hand and foot slipping on the ropes, and the wood was not gentle on her leg. She knew she was either going to have to pull herself up, or fall down and climb. Yuki didn't want to climb.. it seemed more time-consuming.. but pulling seemed just about impossible..

Yuki hung there, the blood rushing to her head and her bag hitting her face as she thought over this. There wasn't really anything more she could do.. and what was this? All for an apple? This one was definitely poisonous.. giving her such bad luck..

She shut her eyes, loosening her grip on the ropes, she was going to have to fall. She took in a breath, as if she was about to dive into a pool, and unhooked her foot. The sudden rush of air was cold and frightening, and her stomach twisted as gravity pulled her further and further down.. But.. the fall seemed longer than she had expected.

Yuki opened her eyes, her hands reaching out into the darkness. Her fingers touched soft earth, and blue orbs like stars in the darkness faded away. Yuki sat on her heels, as the sound of birds echoed down into the hole. The landing was softer than she had expected.. and hadn't she been falling head first?

Yuki stood, stumbling a little as the blood rushed away from her brain. Maybe she had blacked out? Either way.. she had to get out now. Yuki adjusted the apple in her lips, and the bag on her shoulder, and turned to look for the ladder. She seen it.. but it seemed slightly different somehow.. it was darker.. more dirty and worn.. Maybe it was just the light.

She shrugged and latched on it, pulling herself higher and higher with every step. Viktor was going to laugh at her when he found out she fell down the Higurashi's well. Stupid apple.. she thought. Giving her so much trouble..

"That's it, Inuyasha! I hate you, you're so insensitive!"

"Me! What are you going on about now? What the hell did I do?"

"Shut up, you know what you did!"

"Like hell! You're just being crazy again! Jeez, always getting mad at me for no reason!"

"Inuyasha, ouswari!"

"Ow, what did you do that for?"

"I'm going home, and there's nothing you can do abou- hey who are you?"

Yuki looked up into the blinding sunlight to see a girl staring down at her. She was pretty, with large brown eyes, and dark raven hair. From where Yuki was she could see the girl wore the uniform to the school she had attended once before. She really didn't know what to make of this now either.

What the hell was going on?

The girl reached down her hand, but Yuki didn't take it and continued to pull her self up. She reached the top to find herself in the middle of a field. It was a bit cold, but new flowers were opening up everywhere. The grass was almost as green as grass could get and birds took flight into the bright blue open sky.

Yuki now finally bit through her apple, and held it in her hand as she pulled herself over the top, "Interesting," she muttered, sitting on the edge.

"Are you a miko?" the girl asked her.

Yuki brought her attention back to the teenager beside her. The girl looked maybe about 15, obviously human.

Yuki looked down at her clothes, then back to the girl, "Who are you?"

"Ehm.." the girl looked a little wary, "I'm Kagome-"

"Higurashi?"

"Ah.. yes.. and this is Inuyasha."

She motioned toward the ground and Yuki followed her hand. The first thing she saw were two white twitching dog ears on the top of a bunch of silver hair.

"Idiot.." she mumbled, "The government will have your head if they find you out."

The boy stood with a start, "What the hell are you going on about?"

"Do you work at the shrine?" Yuki asked. She looked over him, as it was hard not to notice his clothing; bright red hitoe, bright red hakama, and white kosode under the jacket.

"The.. shrine?"

"So you're a cosplayer, then?"

A small shriek was heard and Yuki flinched away from Kagome who had been the source of the noise, "You're not from Tokyo are you!" she asked in a panic.

"Possibly.."

"Oh my god!" Kagome bounced up and down on her feet, "This is so exciting! Are you shocked, or scared? You shouldn't be! We're good people and we'll help you out!"

"Hold on Kagome! How do we know she's safe?" Inuyasha protested, getting to his feet. He glared at Yuki and she only stared back at him, "I don't like the feeling she has, she might be a yokai."

"I'm not a yokai, I'm a miko," Yuki replied.

"Liar!" Inuyasha pulled out his sword. It grew ten times larger than its original size, and transformed into a sharp-pointed fang, "I'll chop you up into little pieces, yokai!"

"Inuyasha, stop!" Kagome shouted, trying to get between them.

"You stop it, Kagome! She's not human, I can feel it!"

"Of course she's human! Look at her!"

"Keh!" Inuyasha stared her down, "I see nothing but a demon in disguise."

Yuki sighed, "Actually you see this apple is really possessed by a ghost. That's what you're feeling," she placed the half devoured apple on Inuyasha's blade, "I was trying to kill it by consumption, but I think you'd do a better job."

"Are you mocking me?" Inuyasha growled, "You are in no position to make fun, runt. I could kill you in five seconds flat!"

"Ugh, Inuyasha ouswari!" Kagome shouted. She raced up to Yuki making a wall between the two, "I'm sorry about him, please don't let him scare you."

"I'm not scared," Yuki replied. She noticed that she was considerably shorter than Kagome, but then again, she was considerably shorter than most people.

"Not at all..?" Kagome asked.

Yuki could tell that this girl was confused. Maybe she was supposed to be scared? "Not really, I've eaten food scarier than him."

"Why you!" Inuyasha was back on his feet, his claws flexed.

"No really," Yuki told him, confidently staring up at him, "I can prove it too. We can go to McDonalds, you'll see what I'm talking about."

Kagome cut between them again, holding Inuyasha back as he was about to strike, "If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"

"Yuki."

"Oka- Ugh, Inuyasha ouswari! We're going to take her to Kaede's village whether you like it or not so just shut up!"

Kaede's village was a worn down feudal town. As Yuki followed Kagome, and ignored Inuyasha's death glares at her back, she found that there were no roads, no cars, no electricity. It was just like the country, it even had farms and animals. Every person wore some type of kimono, and the woman wore handkerchief to hold back their hair, and the men tied theirs back into a pony-tail.

She thought these things interesting, but didn't let it all hit her too hard. Maybe it was unrealistic for a girl of her age to drop down into a well and climb out in the middle of no where, and not really care.. but she couldn't make herself get into hysterics to seem natural. She had heard of things like this before.

They came to a small square shack, and Kagome pulled back the bamboo door for Yuki. Inside the hut it was quite warm for there was a fire flickering in the centre of the room. Around this fire sat an old woman, a young woman, a young man, a cat, and a small child.

"Hey, guys!" Kagome called as she and Inuyasha entered, "This is Yuki."

The others looked up at her in surprise. Her entrance had disturbed their lunch but they didn't seem to mind. The old lady and the younger stared at her intensely with their dark eyes, probably sensing the same thing Inuyasha had. The young man however smirked at the small girl, but Yuki didn't notice, for she was staring intently at the two tailed neko circling her feet.

Kagome explained how they had found her, and Inuyasha butted in with his suspicions. Yuki stayed silent, but fell to her knees on the wooden floor in front of the small cat.

"You're.." she murmured, setting the room silent, "a neko yokai, right?"

The cat meowed and the young woman nodded, watching her carefully, "She is.. How did you know?"

"Cause this runt's a yokai, that's why!" Inuyasha snarled, snatching the girl's collar and pulling her to her feet.

"I'm not a yokai."

"Inuyasha! Ye should not treat a guest in such a manner!" the old woman scolded.

The man nodded, "You should treat women with a little more respect!"

"Keh!" Inuyasha released her, "Sango you should know! You should be able to sense it!"

All eyes came upon the young woman, "I'll admit she does seem a little strange but that's no reason to push her around, she could be merely innocent."

"But she's a yokai!"

"I'm not a yokai."

Inuyasha growled, "Yes you are, and when I prove it, I'll be the first to kill you."

Yuki rolled her eyes, "I'm sure."

"Okay, okay, enough you two!" Kagome shoved herself between the two again. Inuyasha snarled at her over Kagome's head, his amber eyes aggressive and dangerous. They contrasted against Yuki's who only smirked back at him. From his actions she could feel many he had inferiorities and insecurities behind the aggression and this gave her an upper-hand.

"Yuki, you won't mind if we ask you a few questions do you?" Kagome asked, shoving the growling boy out-of-the-way.

"Not really."

"Okay, you can sit beside Kaede-sama," Kagome pointed toward the old woman, and Yuki carefully made her way to her spot beside her.

"So, Yuki, we'll start with introductions," Kagome spoke in a cheerful manner, "You know me, Kagom-"

"Higurashi."

"Yes, and you know Inuyasha. This is Miroku," she pointed to the man, "Kaede," the old woman, "Sango," the young woman, "and Shippo," the child, "and well everyone this is Yuki."

Everyone was silent, and Yuki only stared back at them. She could feel the curiosity and hostility however, and she dared not say a word until she was asked to.

"So, Yuki-san, where are you from?" Kagome asked, sitting herself down beside her.

"I live in Tokyo now. You asked that already didn't you?" Yuki looked at her, and the teen seemed to shrink under her gaze.

"Oh.. right."

"But how did you get here?" the boy; Shippo, asked, "I thought only Kagome and Inuyasha could go through the well."

"I just fell."

Another awkward silence filled the room. Yuki's short replies didn't seem to be getting them anywhere.

"So what are you, as if I didn't already know?" Inuyasha snarled. He hadn't taken his eyes off her for a moment.

"A miko."

"You're not a miko! You're just saying that from before!"

"Could ye tell us a little more about yourself, child?" the old woman asked, kindly over Inuyasha's shouts.

Yuki sighed, "My name is Koyama Yuki. I just moved to Tokyo two years ago on account to my Father's job. I am the fourth of six children; seventeen years old, this past March."

"Seventeen?" the young man - Miroku - questioned, "You don't look it."

"Yeah you look more like twelve!" Inuyasha snickered, "What are you, like four-foot nothing?"

"Inuyasha! What is wrong with you?" Kagome snapped.

"Actually four-foot ten," Yuki replied.

Inuyasha scoffed, "And you think you could beat me in a fight!"

"Yes."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to respond, at the same time many of the others did as well. The argument had escalated too far, and as his withdrew his sword it seemed like he was going to kill her regardless of her species. But before anyone could say anything, the earth beneath them started to tremble. Dust and debris from the rafters above started to fall and everyone -except Yuki and Inuyasha- dropped to the floor, covering their heads with their hands.

"E-earthquake?" Kagome asked, her voice shaking in fear.

The roof of the hut shattered, sending rocks and wood to come crashing down upon them. A mild wave of panic pulled Yuki to her feet and she pressed herself against the back wall - everyone else leaped out-of-the-way.

Through the dust a loud screech pierced Yuki's ears, and she looked to the clear blue sky for the source. It sounded nothing like she had ever heard before in her entire life.

Against the sun rose a giant centipede. Over 30 feet tall, its body protected by a black armoured shell, its head and legs: a bright orange-red. The bug stood in the air for a moment, then spun around to face Yuki; exposing its yellow belly. Its legs moved as it looked down upon her. The girl seemed hypnotized.. but her fingers twitched like she was itching to attack.

The bug detected her movement, suddenly lunging toward her at lightening speed. A small cry rang out from her lips and she tried to run, unfrozen in panic, but she wasn't fast enough. The centipede crashed down into the broken hut, sending up a cloud of dust that blocked everything from view.

"Oh my god! Yuki!" Kagome cried. She stood upon the roof of a neighbouring hut. Inuyasha had pulled her up there without a second thought to the girl in the hut. Sango, Miroku, Kaede and Shippo stood on the ground below, bearing similar expressions to that of the young miko. They too had forgotten the girl..

Inuyasha sniffed the air, tensing as the scent in the air had now changed. The centipede never rose from its place, never withdrew from the dust.

"D.. Do you feel that?" Sango murmured, bracing herself, "The aura.. it's completely different.."

"Had Inuyasha's prediction been correct?" Miroku wondered, feeling it too. The air around the shattered hut was full of dark energy.. but it did not come from the yokai, for mysteriously it had died. Instead it came from a much smaller, more concentrated source.

Inuyasha stared wide-eyed through the dissipating brown cloud at a dark figure, stumbling over the debris, "No.. She's no yokai, alright.. She's.."

The dust settled, and from it stood a young woman with long, bright orange hair. Her back turned away from the group; her large animal-like ears pinned to the dead bug at her feet. Her long orange tail was bottle-brushed in fear, and in her hand she clutched the black and white beads of a broken wooden bracelet.

"Hanyo."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N (17/12/2010): Hey guys! Thanks for the awesome reviews, I appreciate it and am so glad to know I didn't completely fail! You guys are great!

Now I have to be honest, I'm still trying to figure out where I'm going with this. I don't know for sure.. but it's getting there. As I go on it sparks more ideas and I think I know roughly what I'm doing. Ahh well. I'm trying my best to show Yuki's personality, while keeping true to the personalities of the other characters. It's quite hard I find, since most of them aren't mine, and this is all in third person (which I'm not used to). If you think that anyone is acting strangely or out of character, then don't be afraid to tell me!

* * *

Chapter 2

Yuki turned around; feeling their hostile glares upon her. She locked eyes with Inuyasha above, and they stood in a test of dominance, waiting for the other to break. Both pairs of ears pointed back; her tail lowered and bottle-brushed. The others held their breath, feeling the tension; afraid to break the trance which most definitely would lead to a fight.

Inuyasha growled. Yuki returned with her own. She backed up as he advanced. Gripping the fang katana in his hands, Inuyasha leaped from his perch on the roof; a move which placed him nose to nose with the cat girl below. A hiss escaped through sharp, pointed fangs and Yuki retreated from the debris. A moment later she stood on top the bright red torii, towering above him. Inuyasha would have gone after her, however at the last moment Kagome shouted a loud "_sit_" which sent him plummeting into the piles of splintered wood that had, only moments before, made up Kaede's hut.

Yuki stayed on her perch for the rest of the day and well through the night. No words of coaxing could persuade her down, and much to Inuyasha's annoyance, they refused using force. It wasn't until the bright moon lit up the sky, and each person had retired to their houses, did she dare move.

Yuki landed upon the dark dusty road with a soft _thud_. She inhaled sharply several times, catching and holding the thousand of different scents surrounding her. She searched the shadows for hidden spies with ease thanks to her keen night vision, and listened hard for any sign of activity. At every sudden sound, scent, or movement she froze for several moments until she was sure the coast was clear. It took her a good five minutes to reach old Kaede's pile of wreckage, especially since somewhere in the village a couple was arguing.

Yuki eyed the place where the centipede demon had died. It was bare now, thanks to Inuyasha and the village men hauling it away, however it still left a creepy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She bent down low to the ground, pulling broken boards away. A few moments later she retrieved a cloth hand bag from the piles, as well as four lost beads. She dropped all nine of them now into her bag, and continued clearing the site for more. She got to fifteen when Kagome, in a pair of light blue pyjamas, came stomping out from behind the stables with a flashlight, muttering furiously to herself about Inuyasha's horrible attitude. She asked herself how heartless could one guy get before she noticed Yuki staring at her from the centre of what looked like a giant bird's nest.

"Yuki!" Kagome said, forgetting her anger, "What are you doing?"

Yuki only blinked, the pupils of her eyes glowing bright gold when Kagome shone the flashlight upon her.

"Why are you clearing out Kaede's hut – don't tell me you're going to try to fi-?"

"Is this yours?" Yuki asked. She held up a large yellow backpack.

"My bag.. I totally forgot about it, thanks," Kagome climbed over the mounds of wood and took it from her, "So you're just looking for things salvageable?"

Yuki went back to her searching, ignoring her question. Kagome, however, didn't seem to mind and watched Yuki for a moment before joining her.

For about an hour they turned over wooden planks, rocks and carried them into a large pile. Yuki found all of her beads save for one, and Kagome had managed to retrieve the large black pot Kaede used for cooking. They also found a few bundles of herbs, vegetables, a wash board, and a red and green top. Kagome's hands and feet were sore and pierced with splinters, her back and face covered in sweat. She had completely forgotten why she had come outside and by the time her quiver of arrows was found she'd fallen asleep on her bag.

Yuki sat down beside her, taking out the pink plastic box and thermos the woman at the shrine had given her. Slowly she ate the cold balls of rice and green tea inside, listening to Kagome talk in her sleep. She would rather an apple, but her hunger was too strong to be picky. When she was just about finished, and Kagome had told her much about passing some math test, Inuyasha came out from behind the stables.

He stopped when he noticed the two piles of wood and items. He noticed Kagome sleeping, then Yuki beside her. He growled.

Yuki reached over Kagome's body and grabbed the flashlight. As Inuyasha took a step toward them, she turned it on, shining the bright light into his eyes.

"Ow, what the hell!" he shouted.

Yuki flickered the light off and then on again. This prevented him from getting used to both the dark and the light, and kept him well away from her. This woke up Kagome. Irritated and sleepy, she sat Inuyasha, and carefully asked Yuki to stop. Yuki did, leaving it on, but then curiously asked her why.

"Well.. because it's in the middle of the night, you see," said Kagome, "People aren't usually too happy when you wake them up."

"But it's already morning," Yuki pointed to the sky. She was right, the sky above was a soft purple, getting redder and redder closer to the horizon. Then she flicked the light off and on again.

Inuyasha snatched the flashlight from her. His face red and dirty. "Why you.. I'll kill you, you bitc-"

"Shut up." Yuki hissed.

"Don't tell me to shut up, runt! Weren't you the one running away yesterday!"

"I was afraid you'd kill me with your stench. I had to get some fresh air."

Kagome's sit command interrupted Inuyasha before he could respond.

"What in God's name are you three doing!"

It was a villager. He was middle-aged, and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. A middle-aged woman stood behind him scowling at the trio, holding a wailing toddler in her arms.

"People wanna sleep you know!"

"Ahh, I'm so sorry!" Kagome leaped to her feet then bowed her head, "We'll stop!"

"You better, or I'll have some things to say about this to Lady Kaede! First you smash her hut now you're screaming at all hours of the night! I put up with you two throwing around all that wood but this is the last straw! You might fight demons but that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want!"

Inuyasha growled, "Shut up, old man! If it wasn't for us you'd be dead by now!"

"Inuyasha, be quiet!" Kagome hissed, desperate to end this argument here and now, "You'll wake up the rest of the village!"

"Don't tell me to shut up, Kagome, this guys needs to be taught a lesson!"

"No, he doesn't! I'm sorry, sir, we'll leave right away."

"You better."

Kagome sighed, shoving Inuyasha back toward the stables, then turned for Yuki. However, she wasn't there. Instead, Yuki was back on top of the torii with her back to them, watching the bright sun rise over the trees, flickering the flashlight between on and off.

* * *

Yuki's wooden bracelet had returned around her wrist the next time they saw her that afternoon. They had a feeling it had something to do with her transformation, and were eager to know how she had killed the centipede as well, but were careful not to push her too far.

Yuki stood on the ground, annoying the village men with advice as they worked to repair Kaede's hut. She told them many times they were doing it wrong, that the base needed to be stronger, they needed a support beam here and there too. Eventually, they stopped working and left her to repair it on her own "since she knew so much" and went to enjoy themselves by the river.

That was where Miroku found her; sitting in the middle of a hut with half a roof, hammering down wooden planks into the floor all by herself.

"Why hello," he said, "What are you doing here?"

Yuki glanced up at him for half a second, enough to take in his appearance and confirm his identity. She remembered him from the day before, the young man with the dark hair and blue eyes who had commented on her age. He was wearing the same navy blue robes as yesterday, but now held a golden staff in his hand.

Miroku look around, "Shouldn't the men be doing this?"

"They don't know how," said Yuki, placing down another board.

"I'm sure they do, Yuki-sama," Miroku slowly took the board from her, "They've done it all their life."

Yuki said nothing but grabbed another board, and this time made sure he wouldn't take it.

Miroku only frowned and left her to find the ones who were supposed to be building. He couldn't have a pretty young woman like Yuki doing such strenuous work. He brought them back from the river a few moments later. They were soaking wet and extremely angry and glared at them as they got back to work.

"Now then, now that that's all taken care of," Miroku took Yuki's hand, "Won't you take a walk with me?"

Yuki followed him away from the hut, removing her hand from his grasp. He led her down a hill and under a maple tree. They were hidden under the dome of leaves and low-lying branches, and Yuki could only guess why he had bothered to bring her here.

"I want to apologize for the villager's horrible behaviour, as well as for the actions of Inuyasha," said Miroku, "I'm sure you're very frightened and confused about ending up in a place like this, but I assure you we're not bad people."

Yuki was silent for a moment, watching a group of children run past, chasing the young red-headed boy, Shippo, she had met the other day, "There are places more frightening than here."

"I must agree with that, for I have seen far worse than Kaede's village.." Miroku paused, "Do you know why we all travel together?"

"'We' being who?"

"Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, Shippo, Kirara and I."

"Of course not. How could I possibly know?"

"Then I shall enlighten you," Miroku looked out over the village, "There is a demon out there, an extremely powerful one who is after the Sacred Jewel. It is our mission to find and kill this demon before anymore people get hurt. However the mission is extremely dangerous.. and I'm afraid of dying and having not one heir to continue this quest in my place.. which is why I would like to ask, Yuki-sama if... Hey! Where are you going?"

Miroku helpless watched Yuki climb back up the hill toward the village. She didn't answer his question, nor even acknowledge that he had spoken to her at all. She disappeared without looking back once.. Miroku let out a disappointed sigh, and dejectedly found his way into a group of women doing laundry.

"Wont one of you beautiful ladies do me the honour of bearing my child?" he asked them lifelessly. Never before had he'd been rejected in such a way. Sango did, yes, but she reacted, she slapped him. None ever had just walked away without saying anything. It was very depressing.. and even though the women around him all blushed and giggled, Miroku wondered if he was loosing his touch.

* * *

Yuki made her way back to Kaede's hut, which was now nearly finished. As she walked through the doorway and sat under the unfinished roof, ignoring the murderous stares of the men above, she thought to herself about what Miroku had told her. There was an evil demon out there, searching for a Sacred Jewel. Such a story was painfully familiar.. Such a story had been passed down from generation to generation in her family, in all demon families.. Such a story had haunted her dreams every night since she could remember..

She rubbed her burning eyes, it was obvious she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night, however she had managed well despite it. She couldn't sleep without her mother near, for who would want to sleep without being assure of her warm embrace if such a horrifying image came. No, it was better not to sleep, better to be tired than risk whispers of the past or future.

A piece of wood came crashing down on her, and a villager yelled at her for being in the way. Yuki ignored him, brushing the splinters off her kimono. She reached into her bag and pulled out a silver cell phone. She turned it on, and punched in a number, and listened as the voice on the other end told her there was no signal. She tried once more outside, but the voice insisted there was no signal.

Yuki looked around her for a moment, staring hard at the huts, the people, and the forest surrounding. She turned toward the man who yelled at her, and asked if this was indeed a cosplaying convention or not. The man only stared at her in confusion, asking her what in the world was cosplay.

"So this isn't a cosplaying convention?" Yuki asked once more.

"What in the world is cooesplay!" the frustrated man shouted.

Yuki snapped her phone shut, tossing it back into her bag. She noticed Kagome talking to the he young woman, Sango and went over to her repeating her question.

"Eh! You mean I didn't tell you?" Kagome gasped, "I was sure I had!"

"You haven't," Yuki said.

"I thought you would have figured it out by now, you did come through the well didn't you?" Sango asked, curious. Yuki noticed she looked a little irritated, and from over her shoulder she could see Miroku sitting in the middle of the dirt road, caressing a red swollen cheek.

"Well I thought that was an initiation. You know some hidden person comes, pushes you down the well. You black out due to apple poisoning and they take you, bring you to another well, wait till you wake up and pretend you're in a whole other world?"

"N-No, Yuki, t-that's not how it is a-at all.." Kagome stuttered, surprised by Yuki's idea of what was going on.

"Kagome-chan, people actually do that in your world?" Sango asked, surprised as well.

"Of course they do!" Yuki exclaimed, "Obviously not all of them, most are pretty cool, but there's a number who go out and do some pretty odd things! Why do you think I quit!"

"Yuki, you did cosplay..?"

"Heh, well this is amusing." Yuki spun around to see Inuyasha lurking on top of a hut near by. "Of course the first time you actually have something to say its just a load of insane ramblings!"

"Oh, it's you," Yuki muttered, "Don't you have something to do.. like die?"

"Shut up!" Inuyasha snarled, coming down from the hut, "Don't push me or it's you who's gonna die! I knew you weren't human, I just didn't know you were gonna be some insane stupid cat!"

"That's alright, I already knew you were a dumb old dog from the start so I don't mind that you didn't realize."

"Why you-"

"Inuyasha! Put the Tetsusaiga away! You're not killing her!"

"See," Yuki continued with a smirk, "Even Kagome knows you're all bark and no bite. I mean really, you've even been tamed by her," she touched the beaded necklace on his chest, "Only a stupid dog would allow themselves to be tamed by a human. How pathetic."

"Yuki, please, stop instigating him," Kagome pleaded as she sat Inuyasha again before he could attack.

Yuki rolled her eyes and turned away from them, "Why? He started it, and really all you have to do is just give him a treat and he'll forget about the whole thing."

Yuki yelped as a strong hand snatched the end of her tail. The hand pulled and she toppled to the ground, hitting the back of her head on the ground. She could see her tail grasped in the a clawed hand above her face, and a low voice growled; "You're going to pay for that.."

However Inuyasha hadn't the chance to make Yuki regret her insulting remarks, for at that very moment a large centipede crashed through the village, sending villagers screaming out of their houses. A sense of deja vu washed over them as they watched the green and purple insect destroy the hut they had just spent all day rebuilding.

"That's a female!" Sango exclaimed, pulling a large bone boomerang off her back, "The one yesterday was a male."

"You think perhaps that was its mate, and she's after revenge?" Miroku asked, racing up to them, his cheek still red and swollen.

"Who cares?" Inuyasha shouted, leaping to his feet, "We have to kill it now!"

"Yuki, Yuki, are you alright!" Kagome was on her knees. She was shaking Yuki whose eyes were wide again, staring at the insect rushing towards them, "We have to get out of here! Inuyasha what did you do!"

"Me!" Inuyasha growled, "I didn't do anything! It's her!"

"Oh whatever, help me get her up- Yuki!"

Yuki had leaped to her feet and was now racing out of the village toward the forest as fast as her legs could take her.

Inuyasha scoffed, taking out his sword. "Typical cat, running away at the first sign of danger."

Yuki heard this and stopped. She whipped around, her eyes narrowed. She came back up to him and shoved him out of her way, "Move."

"No you move!"

"Yuki, you know how to fight?"

Yuki was silent. Her ears and eyes locked to the insect terrorizing a group of men who had glared at her only moments ago. Her tail fluffed up a little, her fingers twitched.

Inuyasha growled, "You don't, so go away! I said move!" Inuyasha tried to shove her out-of-the-way, but instead she stepped forward, then spun around to face him.

"Don't touch me! I did it yesterday I can do it again!"

"Yuki look out!"

The centipede had lunged at her hearing the shouts and sensing the aggression. The insects venomous fangs sunk into her back, and she was thrown into Inuyasha. They crashed into the stables behind them, smashing through the wall and landing on the hay inside. Over them the horses rushed from their cages and into the village. The centipede chased the easy meals out of the village and into the forest. The village men rushed after it with spears and bows, and that was the end of it.

Inuyasha cursed as he pulled himself off the ground, then stared in anger and disgust at the unconscious girl on top of him, "Damn it!"

"Inuyasha are you alright?" Kagome called, running in.

"I'm fine but this idiot isn't!" Inuyasha snapped, "I coulda killed it if it wasn't for her!"

"Give her a break, Inuyasha," Sango said, helping Kagome lift Yuki off him, "She's really confused, and doesn't seem to know what's going on."

"Even I was very confused at first," Kagome agreed, "But I had Kaede to help, Yuki hasn't been told about anything."

"Yeah, whatever! We're better off without her, just send her back!"

"Inuyasha, sit! Jeez, you don't get it do you? Come on, Sango, let's take her to Kaede before that wound gets any worse."

* * *

In Yuki's dream the sight of a dark-haired man with blood-red eyes haunted her. He held a dark purple jewel in his pale, thin hand and beckoned her closer with the other. When she didn't move, the man smirked, and suddenly turned into a giant spider. The spider was black with red stripes along it's back, and glowing yellow eyes. It rushed toward her, its large fangs snapping. Closer, and closer it came.. Yuki couldn't move, couldn't scream or run..

Yuki's eyes snapped open and a scream pierced the silence. Sweat soaked through her clothes, and, gasping for breath, she looked around. She was inside a wooden room, like the one she had first been taken to. It was pretty much deserted besides an old woman staring at her with a concern gaze.

Hysteria washed over Yuki in an instant and she held her chest. Tears spilled from her eyes as she hid her face in her knees. A soft hand touched her shoulder. "Calm down, my child, there is no danger here."

"Where's - my - mother?" Yuki whispered between sobs.

"I don't know, I'm afraid. Please do not cry, little one. Ye had nothing but a nightmare."

Yuki stared up at her at '_little one_' and for a moment seen her red-headed mother giving her a delicate smile. Of course this vision faded to show a short, aged woman with deep brown eyes and grey- sandy coloured hair.. but in a way it was still comforting. Yuki explained to her what she'd seen, and the woman – called Kaede she remembered – listened carefully.

When she finished, Kaede thought over this for a moment, folding her hands into her sleeves and staring at the wooden floor. "Well it seems to me that ye's dreams are sayin-"

"Oh you're still alive," Inuyasha came walking through the open doorway, interrupting Kaede without a care, "That's unfortunate."

Yuki's ears flattened against her head.

Kaede sighed, "Inuyasha, I would recommend ye not to make enemies with Yuki, she could prove to be a very useful ally."

Inuyasha scoffed, sitting down and then helping himself to a fish that was roasting by the fire, "Yeah right! You shoulda seen her! She just completely froze up! The runt's completely useless and I wouldn't have that selfish cat come with us anyway!"

"You let Kirara come," Kaede reminded.

"Kirara's different; strong and useful. S_he _however-"

"Yuki, do ye know how to fight?" Kaede asked. Yuki shook her head.

"Well how the hell did you kill that first one!" Inuyasha shouted.

"That, Inuyasha, is a mystery," Kaede responded, trying her hardest not to get too irritated with him, "But I think however, because the bracelet had been broken – the bracelet does keep ye's powers in check does it not?" Yuki nodded again, "Yes, so you see I think the sudden rush of yoki engery that came from her when it was broken killed the centipede but one can only guess. Now Yuki, do ye know how to return home?"

"Well I live-"

"Pssh, if you haven't yet noticed, retard," Inuyasha interrupted again, "You're not in _your_ world anymore. You're in mine. Now hurry up and get your stuff and leave cause you're not welcome here!"

"That's easier said than done, Inuyasha," said Kaede.

"Why! She came through the well, she _should_ be able to go back! Kagome is there now trying to find out where she came from!"

"Should, yes, but not always possible. Besides Yuki is in no condition to be running around, jumping down wells. The centipede's poison is still strong in her system. Right now, it would be best to rest until she's healed."

Inuyasha only glared.

"Are ye alright will that, Yuki?"

Yuki was silent, noticing the bandages around her torso, and the pain coming from them, "Yes.. But I have one question.."

"Anything."

"Where am I?"

"Well, you are in feudal Japan. Roughly 500 years, according to Kagome, from whence ye came. The well is a time portal."

"Oh," Yuki rested her head on her hand. She smirked at Inuyasha, her eyes dancing wildly in the firelight, "Interesting."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N (29/01/2010): Last chapter, uhm I felt it was full of so many rambles but I wanted to show some one on one character interaction. I noticed I usually push everyone to the side besides Kagome and Inuyasha, and I don't know why but I feel like the anime does that as well? Not sure though, I haven't watched it in a while, but as I recall the episodes were usually only InuyashaxKagome/Kikyo or SangoxMiroku and then the odd one was Shippo and ect. I thought Yuki interacting by herself with Miroku and Kagome (and later with everyone else) would be good to show more of her personality (she's quite the sh*t disturber with Inuyasha, eh? :D) and establish her relationships with each of them in a more realistic way.

Anyways, I'd like to thank everyone who took their time to read my story and review, as I said before it means a lot to me! I try to respond to each and everyone that I can so if you're confused about something then don't be afraid to ask.

* * *

Chapter 3

It only took about a day for Yuki to heal completely from the centipede's poison. Thanks to her strong immune system, and Lady Kaede's large array of medicinal herbs, the poison hadn't done much to her internal organs and Yuki was up and about before nightfall.

The villagers however weren't blessed with such luck. Many of them were still plagued by the thirst of revenge for their poor destroyed town. The men lost the female centipede demon in the forest due to its speed and agility. There was no way possible for them to keep up with such a thing at a human's pace, or even at a horse's pace for that matter. They'd tried to go for Inuyasha to help, but the boy was nowhere to be found. Their pride kept them from asking about Yuki's abilities, so all they could do was wait in the village until it came back to attack.

While the men waited they worked on rebuilding many of the huts. The family who had given up their home for Kaede and the group of demon fighting teens were secretly glad to be free from the constant bickering as Kaede's hut was the first to finish. It was first by a bribe, and a threat by an angry mother and child but no one seemed to care much about the methods, and only paid attention to a ripple of calm now settling back into their daily lives.

The fact that Yuki was up and about again worried the builders. At each woman's voice they braced themselves for unwelcome advice; at every flash of orange they glared. However, Yuki wasn't in the village today and their paranoia was for nothing. Instead, Yuki stood by an old wooden well with the others, peering warily down at what, eventually, she'd have to jump into. The well was in a huge field surrounded by forest. It wasn't far from the village - you could see a path leading back toward civilization - but the illusion the trees gave made Yuki feel isolated and very alone. Today she would go home.

The night before Kagome had come back with a letter. It was from Viktor, Yuki's brother. Kagome had spoken to her grandfather about the unknown girl, remembering Yuki had mentioned the shrine when she first arrived. The old man was pleased to know that Yuki hadn't just walked out on him, and gladly told Kagome her parent's number.

But when Viktor had come running up the shrine steps, Kagome thought she had the wrong person. Victor was tall, at least a foot taller than her, with sharp angular features. He had dark long hair, and very dark eyes. This man was the complete opposite of the girl on the other side of the well! Kagome thought there was no way they could be related, never mind being father and daughter. He also spoke with a slight Russian accent, and through this, Kagome learned, that he was actually Yuki's older brother.

"But she told my grandfather you were her father," said Kagome, as she took a basket of apples and a note from him. She was extremely confused by the apples.. and even more so confused by the fact that Viktor didn't seem in the least surprised by his sister falling down a well and landing back in time.

"Yeah, she does that a lot. Would rather have me pick up the phone than our Dad," Viktor chuckled.

"Why?"

Viktor didn't respond. Instead for a moment he looked as though he had said too much. "Er, well, just give her the apples, the note, and tell her to come home ASAP. If she can't, don't worry about it. They – everyone back home – are all used to her disappearing every now and again so they won't worry for about another month. That should give you enough time to figure everything out, no?"

"Uhm, no – I mean yes, thank you."

When Yuki received the note she had almost torn it to shreds in excitement. It read:

_Dearest Speck,_

_I'm sorry I gave you a poison apple. I didn't know it'd grow arms and push you down a well, honest! I'm giving you twenty apples as a peace-offering, (they're not poisoned, so don't worry). I ask that you won't kill me when you get home, you know you can't win and it would be extremely embarrassing for you. I don't know why you bothered to run away again (or is the well story your friend made up really true? ) but Mom's worried, Kenta keeps asking for you, and the twins really miss protecting something. Dad gets less angrier with each day you're gone, which, as you should know, isn't as fun as it sounds. _

_Come home soon,_

_- Viktor_

Inuyasha had laughed at her nickname when he read the note over Yuki's shoulder, which only ended up with him face down in the mud. He was now sulking under a near-by tree, impatiently waiting Yuki's departure. For him, three days with Yuki was more than enough. Once she was gone, he thought, he was going to throw an entire festival all on his own just to celebrate it.

Yuki peered down into the darkness of the well, past the many vines and moss. She almost expected a light at the bottom but all she could see were white, glittering bones. Were they even sure this was going to work, she wondered. She took a bite from a green apple in her basket, then stepped up on the ledge.

"So now, all you have to do," Kagome said, getting up beside her, "is jump. We can do it together if you want."

"I'm alright," Yuki replied.

"Do you really want to leave us, Yuki?" Shippo asked, leaping up on her shoulder. He hadn't spent much time with the new girl - as he'd rather busy himself playing with the other children in the village - but he'd heard about how she'd stood up to Inuyasha. From this he'd grown to idolize her a little in the three days she stayed.

"Yuki wants to go home, Shippo-chan," Kagome said, taking Shippo in her arms, "Back to her family."

"Of course I do.." said Yuki, slightly sarcastic. She felt a little sad watching the child's tail fall in disappointment. There wasn't really much to go back to, she thought, now suddenly trying to justify staying. Besides Viktor and her mother.. perhaps the twins, they were the only ones with a bit of value.. but not much..

"Would you hurry it up already!" Inuyasha shouted, "We don't have all day!"

"Patience, Inuyasha!" Miroku called back.

Yuki rolled her eyes, "Bye then, if this works," Without another glance toward the others, she jumped.

The air rushed past, and her stomach flipped flopped. Moments later, she hit the ground. The fall was faster this time, and much more intense.

Sango's voice echoed down from above, "Did it work?"

Yuki sighed,"No," With a strong leap, she landed back on the edge.

"Why the hell is she still here!" Inuyasha shouted. He was no longer sitting but half-way to his feet, pointing an accusing finger across the clearing.

"It didn't work, Inuyasha, isn't that obvious?" Kagome hissed.

Inuyasha joined them in seconds, "Well I'm going to make it work, move Kagome."

"What do you think you're doing!"

Inuyasha grabbed the collar of Yuki's kimono, lifting her off the ground. Then, once tucking her neatly under his arm, he disappeared down the well.

Yuki could feel the grip around her waist grow weak, watching his body become transparent. Once he disappeared she had to quickly throw her hands out in front of her face, to prevent herself from getting a mouth full of mud. She stood, brushing the dirt from her sleeves, and once more joined the others who quickly apologized for Inuyasha's rash and horrible behaviour.

A second later, Inuyasha returned.

"Why the hell didn't that work!" he shouted. His face was red as the kimono he wore, even his ears were a slight shade of pink. There was no doubting his frustration.

"I don't know, Inuyasha." Kagome sighed, getting in front of Yuki before anything could start, and she something would, "We should talk to Kaede about this."

"Yeah, right, Kaede! It's _her _who's doing this! Go home!"

Yuki rolled her eyes, "I could if I would. Do you think I wanna hang around a filthy old mutt all day?"

"Who said I wanted a stupid cat around either?" Inuyasha shouted back.

Yuki smirked looked over Kagome's shoulder, "You don't need to say it, your face tells me everything."

"I don't want you around, what the hell are you saying!"

"Guys stop it!" Kagome said. She grabbed Yuki's hand and started towing her toward the dirt path, "We better get back to the village. Kaede said she was going to help the men look for that centipede again today once they're finished repairs. We don't want to miss her."

But in fact they did miss her. By the time Inuyasha had managed to track down the old woman and the hunting party it was late afternoon, and the sun threatened to sink right out of the sky.

Yuki was sitting on top of an unfinished roof. She was muttering away, hammering nails into the wood, as a young man sat and glared at her. There was a good reason for this young man's irritation, for not only had Yuki stolen the hammer his late father had given him, but she had taken it upon herself to explain to him for 2 hours how to build a proper roof. The only thing keeping him from telling her off was that she was doing his work for him.. Also, his respectful upbringing was getting in the way of that too.

"So, how's your wife?" Yuki asked.

The question caught the young man off guard, "Er.. What?"

"How. Is. Your. Wife."

"Oh.. Uh.. I'm not married?"

"Interesting.. Why not?"

The man didn't know how to respond. He was torn on what to say. On one hand he could tell her off.. but on the other these could just be merely innocent questions.

Yuki sighed, holding out the hammer, "Here. Do you want this?"

The man took it, "It was mine in the first plac-"

"No, I don't know what you're talking about. It was always mine, but you can have it as a gift. This one is yours." Yuki pulled another hammer from inside her bag, then jumped off the roof and started walking away.

"What the hell!" The young man shouted, "Give me back my hammer, you damn woma- AHH!" His late father's tool came whipping at him, missing his toes by inches.

Yuki chuckled under her breath. She hadn't once thought to hurt him, but scaring him was too sweet a revenge to pass up.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" A voice growled.

Yuki looked up, and then around. She seen Inuyasha sitting cross-legged on a wooden fence. He was trying hard to glare, but the corners of his mouth twitched as if he were trying to hold back a bout of laughter.

"I was giving him a present." Yuki explained. She took a swift glance back to the young man who seemed fine to her, a little shaken perhaps but not about to have a heart attack.

"What type of present was that!"

Yuki caught the forced anger in his tone. Why, he was just being mad at her for the sake of being mad!

"A flying, dangerous one," Yuki replied, "They're the best kind, you know."

"You're messed up-"

"He wanted it anyhow. He wanted to say some pretty mean things, you could see it in his eyes and the death glares. He just wouldn't say anything cause of who he is. So I gave him a reason to talk now. I threw a hammer at him. He has a reason to complain about me. There's no harm in that, is there, at least not as long as he isn't hurt?"

Inuyasha said nothing, struck silent by her strange way of thinking.

Kagome then came running toward them, "Yuki! Oh there you are. What you doing with Inuyasha? You guys aren't fighting are you?" She seemed out of breath, her face flushed and shimmering with sweat.

"No," replied Yuki.

"Hm.. Alright then. I've been looking everywhere for you! Kaede has been back for a while now but I didn't want to ask anything without you there."

Yuki pointed to the roof of the hut behind her, "I was giving lessons."

"Yeah right! She was throwing hammers at people, Kagome!" Inuyasha interrupted.

"I was not."

Kagome sighed, "Inuyasha I don't know why you hate Yuki so much, but you shouldn't lie just to get her in trouble, okay?"

"What!" Inuyasha stood from the fence. He stomped his way over to Yuki, snatching her wrist and pointed an accusing finger, "This idiot was throwing a hammer at, at that guy!" he pointed at the empty roof, "... Well he was there!"

"You're hurting my arm." Yuki muttered.

Inuyasha growled, "Shut up, I am not!"

"Inuyasha, let go of her right now!" Kagome snapped, stamping her foot on the ground.

Inuyasha let go of her that instant, scared silly by Kagome's anger.

"Hmph. Let's go, Yuki-chan."

"Er, well-"

Kagome snatched Yuki's arm in a tight grip and pulled her down the road. Yuki had expected Kagome to give Inuyasha that strange 'sit' command she always did, so her hastily running off was a bit of a surprise to her. Why Kagome cared so much she didn't know. Her wrist didn't really hurt, and of course she'd thrown the hammer at the guy.. Yuki wondered, why in the world was she being trusted more than her friend.

She stopped walking. Kagome stopped too.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked, "Inuyasha didn't hurt your wrist that bad did he? Ugh, that guy! I could just-"

"No," Yuki interrupted, pulling her arm from Kagome's grasp.

"No?"

"I'm fine. It wasn't he who lied. I did. He wasn't hurting me, I just wanted him to let go. I did throw the hammer at that guy. I didn't hurt him, of course but I still did."

"You.. lied?" Kagome took a step back, as if, Yuki observed, she'd suddenly come down with a very contagious disease, "But why?"

Yuki could only shrug. Adjusting the cloth bag on shoulder, she turned and walked away,"I suggest you go apologize to your friend," she murmured.

Yuki listened as Kagome's brown loafers crunched the dirt and rocks as she ran back down the path where they'd come. When she could no longer hear her running, Yuki stopped walking as well. She looked around. She was at the edge of the village, standing between the rice farms and the stables. The farmers gave her suspicious glares, and for a moment she wanted to throw hammers at all of them.. but decided against it.

"Hey, Yuki-chan!"

Yuki turned. Sango was coming up behind her, smiling brightly. She held that white giant boomerang on her back and the small cat, Kirara, trailed silently behind her.

"Kaede's back, have you spoken to her yet?" she asked.

Yuki shook her head.

"Well, come I'll take you then."

Yuki followed Sango back into the village and through the maze of huts and children. She felt out-of-place all of a sudden. Sure she was wearing a kimono and blended in quite well, and demons of sorts were very common in the villager's daily lives.. it wasn't so much that as she didn't quite right. The village gave her a sense of nostalgia she wished she didn't have to feel. This wasn't the right village to be in, Yuki thought. The people didn't like her here and she found herself acting more and more odd. It wasn't good for her. She should go home. But at the same time, she didn't want to go home. She wasn't bored like she'd always been. The air was fresh and clean, the sounds mostly soothing and quiet. She found feel a strong sense of family in the group she had barged in upon, something she lived without..

They came to Kaede's hut and the old woman greeted the two girls with a smile. She was stirring a pot with a bubbling soup inside and Miroku looked to be napping in the far corner. Shippo was spinning tops off to the side.

"Hello, Yuki, Sango." Kaede nodded as the two girls sat down.

Miroku's eyes snapped open at their names, and no longer was he leaning against the wall. He got to his feet and placed himself beside Sango, who's face turned to a slight shade of pink.

"Oh how did I miss you, my dear Sango," the monk sighed.

"Where is Kagome and Inuyasha?" Kaede asked.

"I seen Kagome leaving the village a few minutes ago," explained Sango, inching away from the lovestruck monk, "She seemed upset about something, she might be going home but I didn't have time to ask."

"And Inuyasha?"

"I don't know."

'Hmm.." Kaede stared down into her cauldron, "Well, it can't be helped. Yuki, I've been told ye cannot get home through the well?"

Yuki didn't move.

"No, we tried, even Inuyasha tried, but Yuki couldn't go through!" Shippo exclaimed.

"Well this is quite a problem.." Kaede murmured, "Ye did come here through the well?"

Yuki nodded.

"Yet ye cannot go back.. Hm.. maybe something other than fate has called ye here?"

"What do you mean, Lady Kaede?" Miroku asked.

"I am not quite sure, but we do know Kagome has been able to travel through time as it is her destiny to do so. Inuyasha's ability is unknown, and Yuki has only been able to travel here through it but not back. Perhaps Yuki, ye have been summoned to our world through other means."

"But Kaede if such a thing were true, then who would do such a thing and why?"

"I do not know. But Yuki if ye could shed some light upon the situation?"

Yuki stared blankly at each of them for a moment, "What do you mean?"

"How did you get here?"

Yuki looked down, then explained her episode of taking up the job at the Higurashi shrine, cleaning up and then falling down the well.

"Why did you want to work there in the first place?" asked Shippo.

Yuki shrugged, "Bored."

No one responded after that. For no one knew of what to say. Their attempts at getting good information had failed the same way it had the first day she arrived. There truly was nothing remarkable in the past events. Everything seemed to just be mere coincidence.

Everyone looked at Kaede, waiting for an alternative theory. But the old woman poked at the fire and stirred the pot as if her hut was empty.

"Oi, you old hag, are you going to say anything or what!"

Everyone jumped at the sound of Inuyasha's voice. He came stomping into the hut, his ears pointed back, glaring at everyone – Yuki the most- as he passed.

"I take it your argument with Kagome did not go so well?" Kaede murmured, with a slight smile.

"Shut up."

"You and Kagome fought _again_!" Shippo exclaimed.

"Shut up, twerp you know nothing about it!"

"But we can't do anything without Kagome, and you sending her home all the time is really bad! You hurt her feelings too much, you idiot!"

"Her feelings? _Her feelings_! What about mine!" Inuyasha snapped back.

"Gentlemen, let us fight about this later," Miroku interrupted.

"Yes, at the moment I think figuring out a way to help Yuki is much more important," Sango agreed.

"Whatever." Inuyasha growled. He put himself in a corner, crossed his legs and his arms, and shot daggers at the floor.

"Is there anything else of importance you might want to share, Yuki?" Kaede asked.

"No," Yuki muttered, staring intently at the sulking dog in the corner. He noticed her gaze and growled. Her ears pinned back and she snapped her head away to stare out the window.

"What about your nightmares?"

A slight jolt struck Yuki. Her ears twitched, as did her tail, and the others knew this might be what they had waited for. But the silence ticked by, and the tension grew thick.

Yuki inhaled slowly, "There's nothing important about them."

"They are of Naraku, are they not?"

And that was when the calm shattered. In a split second the atmosphere in the village went from quiet, to chaotic. Inuyasha was shouting. He was convinced now more than ever that Yuki was bad news. An incarnation of Naraku, a spy, something of the sort. Determined to end it now he'd jumped on her the moment the name Naraku had been spoken.

Miroku and Sango had leaped up at the same moment trying to pry him off her. There was no evidence she had something to do with Naraku they shouted, they couldn't just kill an innocent girl without any proof!

Shippo tried his best to keep Yuki calm, which was proving to me more easy than any of them had guessed. The girl just sat there, unmoving, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape. She seemed to have gone into shock, and even the snapping jaws and flailing claws of a raging hanyo couldn't pull her out of it.

There was too much shouting going on, too much movement. No one could make out a word the other was saying, but their voices echoed across the village, disturbing many.

"Inuyasha, sit!"

Calm suddenly returned to the village, as Kagome stood in the door way to Kaede's hut.

"Kagome! You're back!" Shippo cheered.

"Hi, Shippo. What in the world is going on here?" Kagome set her yellow backpack on the ground, and crouched down beside Inuyasha, "What in the world do you think you're doing?"

Inuyasha pulled his face from the floor boards "She's involved with Naraku, Kagome!"

"I highly doubt that, Inuyasha. Calm yourself," Kaede sighed. She looked Yuki. She was caressing a bleeding cheek, but her eyes were transfixed on the floor in front of her. Her tail and ears were still, but her hands trembled, "Yuki, are ye alright?"

Yuki jumped a little. She turned her head to look at the others. Then at the hand that was covered in her blood.

Everyone but Inuyasha felt sorry for her the moment she had locked eyes with them. She was pale naturally, but she looked white a ghost now. She seemed truly terrified at the thought of Naraku in her mind, and any suspicious.. it was against their nature but they couldn't suspect her.

"Oh please!" Inuyasha growled, sensing the change in atmosphere, "Can't you see she's pretending!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded.

"No, she's not," Miroku observed, "All of the incarnations we have met before have been cocky and very open about their involvement with Naraku."

"Also, they always came to attack us right away or spy on us from a great distance. Naraku has never sent anyone directly into our group, he's too much a coward for that," Sango added.

"Are you guys blind!" Inuyasha shouted, leaping to his feet again. The others made a wall between him and Yuki. "Naraku deceives everyone! He's done it to all of us! That damn cat being sent by Naraku to mess with us is way more damn likely!"

"It is true that Naraku enjoys creating chaos," Kaede observed, "and has gone to many lengths to do so, but I do not believe that Yuki is directly descended from him."

"'Directly descended?'" Kagome repeated, "Are you saying there is a possibly that Naraku might have something to do with Yuki being here?"

"Perhaps, but maybe all without Yuki knowing. He might be involved, he might not. It's best not to jump to any conclusions so quickly."

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed, "Yeah, not so quickly. We'll all be dead before you guys are convinced! It's better to risk killing an innocent girl than risk getting killed ourselves!"

Everyone looked at each other then at Yuki.

"I'm willing to risk that," Miroku confessed.

Sango shot him a suspicious glance before adding that she too would risk it.

Soon everyone but Inuyasha had agreed.

"Come on, Inuyasha." Shippo whined, "Even if you are right, it's 6 against 1!"

Inuyasha mulled over that thought for a moment, then scoffed again, "Whatever, you all can have your party, become best friends and die but I wont!"

The next few days Yuki trained in melee combat by Sango and Kirara. Miroku and Kaede sometimes pitched in to help with the yoki energy, however the only one who could truly teach this hanyo was a hanyo. The only one they knew wouldn't budge. Why should he train her up to kill him? was his defence.

Yuki sat on the tall red torii as the sun set behind her. She had a flashlight in one hand and an apple in the other. She took a small bite from the red apple, and stared down at the red kimono clad boy with silver hair, wandering aimlessly around the village with the girl in the green school uniform. She could see they were disagreeing about something, but she couldn't hear what it was.

"6 against 1, huh..?" she murmured, "What a horrible place to be, Inuyasha..."

Inuyasha stopped walking then, and turned around. She seen he was glaring, looking straight up at her. She knew he couldn't hear her, but right now it felt like he had.

"To have all your friends against you," she whispered. She turned on the flashlight and shined it down at him. He flinched as the light blinded him for a moment and when she flicked the light off she heard a faint snarl, and he stomped after Kagome who had disappeared into Kaede's hut.

"I'm sorry for making you lonely."


End file.
